Of Hockey and Show Choirs
by FlyofDragon
Summary: She's a new girl who just wants to play hockey. He's in a wheelchair but just wants to dance. And they both want to sing their favourite songs. ArtieOC. Now complete.
1. Introductions

**A/N: Welcome to my new story! Just a warning, there will likely be a hiatus due to my summer job. It will probably limit my publishing abilities, so if I don't publish, it's not because I don't love you guys.  
**

**Summary: She's a new girl who just wants to play hockey. He's in a wheelchair but just wants to dance. And they both want to sing their favourite songs. ArtieOC**

**Disclaimer: I humbly acknowledge that I don't own Glee or McFly's songs. If I did own Glee, there would be so much more Klaine and less Finchel. But hands off Alex. She's mine.**

* * *

Chapter 1: Introductions

Blaine Anderson was excited. It was the start of his senior year at William McKinley High School. At the same time, though, he was sad. His boyfriend, Kurt, had moved to New York for school. McKinley and Glee club weren't going to be the same without him. Still, Blaine was determined to have fun. He settled himself into a chair in choir room and chatted with his friends while eagerly anticipating the first Glee club meeting of the year.

"Welcome back everyone!" said Mr. Schue brightly as he walked into the room. "Now I know we've lost quite a few of our stars, but this will give us a chance to showcase some of the other talent we have in our club." Blaine and Tina glanced at each other and nodded knowingly. Tina was beyond glad that the shadow of Rachel Berry was gone from the Glee club.

"Now, that being said, I have put up posters to advertise auditions for the New Directions," Mr. Schue continued. "I hope that we can –"

"I said 'fuck off'!" yelled a voice from the hallway. "I know I'm new here, but at least I know where the fucking choir room is." The door opened to reveal a girl with shoulder length wavy brown hair of about average height. She was dressed in jeans and a black t-shirt that read 'I crave the Drama'. A long, sleeveless cardigan hung over her shoulders, the buttons undone. A hair elastic held her hair back in a loose, low ponytail. Blaine could have sworn he'd seen her before.

"Hey," said the girl. "Sorry about the yelling. Some stupid jerk." She shrugged. "Anyways, I heard there were auditions for the show choir."

"Yes, of course!" cried Mr. Schue excitedly. "What's your name?"

"Oh yeah, sorry!" she replied. "I'm Alex. Alex Davison." She smiled and nodded to Tina. "Hey Tina!" Tina waved and smiled to her.

"Well Alex, the floor is all yours."

"So I thought that for my audition, I would sing something totally awesome from an amazing band." She gestured to the musicians for them to start playing.

_Anne Boleyn she kept a tin,  
Which all her hopes and dreams were in,  
She plans to run away with him, forever (never to be seen again)  
Leaves a note and starts to choke,  
Can feel the lump that's in her throat,  
It's raining and she leaves her coat in silence.  
_

Everyone looked at Alex strangely. They had never heard of this song before…except Artie.

_We're sorry but we disagree  
The boy is vermin, can't you see?  
We'll drown his sins and misery  
And rip him out of history  
_

Artie's eyes were fixed on Alex. How was it possible that she knew this band?

_People marching to the drums,  
Everybody's having fun to the sound of love,  
Ugly is the world we're on  
If I'm right then prove me wrong  
I'm stunned (to find a place we belong)_

_Who is your lover,_  
_I couldn't tell,_  
_When hell freezes over,_  
_That's when I'll tell,_  
_Who is your lover,_  
_I couldn't tell,_  
_When will this stop._

The whole group was getting into the energy of the song now. Alex smiled as she sung.

_Racing, pacing, in the dark,  
She's searching for a lonely heart,  
She finds him but his heart has stopped,  
She breaks down.  
Sorry but your majesty,  
Refusing orders from the queen  
Results in a monstrosity  
Remembers a voice and hears him sing_

_People marching to the drums,  
Everybody's having fun to the sound of love,  
Ugly is the world we're on  
If I'm right then prove me wrong  
I'm stunned (to find a place we belong)_

_Who is your lover,_  
_I couldn't tell,_  
_When hell freezes over,_  
_That's when I'll tell,_  
_Who is your lover,_  
_I couldn't tell,_  
_When will this stop._

Artie kept his eyes glued on this girl. How could she know his favourite band and one of his favourite songs?

_People marching to the drums,  
Everybody's having fun to the sound of love,  
Ugly is the world we're on  
If I'm right then prove me wrong  
I'm stunned (to find a place we belong)_

_Who is your lover,_  
_I couldn't tell,_  
_When hell freezes over,_  
_That's when I'll tell,_  
_Who is your lover,_  
_I couldn't tell,_  
_When will this stop._

_When will this stop!_

"Alex Davison, welcome to the New Directions!" Mr. Schue said as the Glee club burst into applause.

It was at that moment went Blaine remembered. He had seen her before and he knew exactly where.

"Alex Davison?" he asked, getting up from his seat. "As in Ally Davison?" Alex narrowed her eyes at him as she tried to place him.

"Blainey?" she questioned. Then her eyes grew wide with excitement. "Blaine freaking Anderson!" She threw her arms around him, taking him by surprise. "It's so good to see you! And don't call me Ally."

"It's good to see you too!" said Blaine, returning her hug. "Why didn't you tell me you were coming?"

"Well I would have but you know my dad…" Alex shrugged. "He kind of just sprung it on us. Again." The New Directions were staring at the pair quizzically.

"Sorry," Blaine told them. "Ally is my cousin." He smiled brightly and kept his arm around her. Blaine and Alex returned to their conversation and Artie gestured Tina over to his side.

"Tina," he asked her. "Do you know her?"

"Yeah, she in a few of my classes," Tina replied. "She's really nice and she's got a killer voice, don't you think?"

"…I think I need you to introduce us." Artie stared at his friend.

"Okay…but why?"

"Because," he said defiantly. "She knows McFly."

* * *

**A/N: Yay! First chapter I've written in too long! Also, for the record, Kevin McHale (aka Artie) and I are huge fans of McFly. The song is called "Transylvania" by McFly :) Peace!**


	2. Someone Like That

**A/N: When I first started writing *cough*February*cough*, Kurt going to NYADA was basically inevitable. So let just pretend that the writers didn't kill us all with the season finale.  
**

**Disclaimer: I humbly acknowledge that I do not own Glee but I do own Alex.**

* * *

Chapter 2: Someone Like That

"It was sort of a 'hey, pack up your stuff, we're moving to Ohio!'" Alex told her cousin as she waited for him at his locker. "You know, same old, same old, no explanation, no questions, just go, and I find myself in freaking Lima, Ohio." Blaine gave her an apologetic look. "Sometimes I just wish we could stay in one place for a while. You know I don't even get to play in house leagues anymore?"

"Why not?" asked Blaine as he locked up his locker and slung his bag over his shoulder. "Last I heard you were going to go into a competitive league."

"Yeah, well that was before Dad retired," she said, linking arms with Blaine. "Then we started moving all over the place all the time and they wouldn't pay for registration in multiple leagues every season. So I started playing for the school teams. But even they didn't like it when I would join in the middle of the season and then promptly leave a couple months later. And then we lived in Nashville but we were in, like, four different houses so Mom and Dad just sent me to this boarding school where they didn't even have a team." Alex sighed and hugged Blaine closer to her side. "So. It's time, my friend. Tell me all about this wonderful boyfriend of yours." She grinned.

"Kurt?" he questioned. "What's there to tell?"

"Everything!" Alex smacked his arm. "You haven't told me shit about him. No MSN, no Skype, no Facebook, nothing. Spill."

"Well…" Blaine hesitated and Alex gave him a look. "Okay, we met a couple years ago when I was still at Dalton. He actually came to spy on the Warblers, and we ended up buying him coffee for being such a terrible spy." Blaine smiled at the memory. "Anyways, he transferred to Dalton a few weeks later because he was being bullied here. He was with us for Sectionals and Regionals, but he came back here in time for Nationals and his junior prom. At some point before Regionals, I realised exactly how stupid I was to not see that he loved me. I quickly changed my attitude and asked him out. Then I transferred here last fall so we could spend as much time together as possible during his senior year." Blaine smiled again as he remembered dancing his way down the stairs outside singing 'It's Not Unusual'. "Anyways then he got into NYADA and he moved to New York about a month ago."

"So you come to McKinley to make his senior year awesome and then he goes to New York to make your senior year suck?" Alex shook her head.

"No it's…"

"It's what Blainey?"

"I have no idea." He admitted. "But I love him and he loves me and he said he'd come home to visit us on weekends."

"And weekdays too, apparently," said a voice from behind the cousins. They whirled around to see the ever fashionable Kurt standing a few feet away from them. "Hi," he said simply.

"KURT!" Blaine yelled. "YOU DIDN'T TELL ME YOU WERE COMING HOME!" He dropped his bag and raced over to his boyfriend.

"It's coffee day," Kurt told him. "Or did you forget?"

"Never," replied Blaine. He then remembered his cousin. "Ally this is Kurt, Kurt, this is my cousin Ally." Alex gave him a look. "Or Alex," he quickly added.

"It's very nice to meet you Alex," said Kurt, warmly shaking her hand. "And might I commend you on your excellent, though somewhat unusual, fashion sense?"

"Jeez, are you in school for musical theatre or fashion design?" Alex questioned. "Cause I can tell that you'd rock at both." She grinned.

Kurt laughed before replying. "Musical theatre, but if that doesn't work out…" He shrugged.

"Well, I'll let you two get your coffee," she said. "I'll see you tomorrow Blainey."

Blaine and Kurt said goodbye to the girl before walking off hand in hand. Alex sighed. **Shame I can't have anyone like that,** she thought. **They're just too damn perfect.** Sighing again, she readjusted her messenger bag over her shoulder and headed for the exit.

* * *

"Okay, so why do I need to introduce you to Alex?" Tina asked her friend for the thousandth time.

"Have you ever heard of McFly before?" Artie replied.

"Only when you go on and on about how incredible they are and how they _need_ to make a stop in Ohio at some point."

"Exactly." Tina gestured for Artie to continue. "No one knows who McFly is and, hence, they have no idea about their awesomeness. Except this girl."

"Alex," Tina clarified.

"Right. She sang 'Transylvania'," said Artie meaningfully. Tina indicated that she had no idea what that meant. "'Transylvania' has got to be one of the weirdest songs McFly has ever recorded, right after 'Umbrella' and 'I Kissed A Girl'. But the fact that it's so weird is what makes it so awesome and it's one of my favourites."

Tina nodded slowly. "So you want me to introduce you two because you like her taste in music?"

"…That's pretty much what it comes down to for a non-McFlier," Artie told her. "So will you? Please?"

Tina sighed. "Fine. Meet me for lunch tomorrow. My locker."

Artie beamed with happiness. "Thank you so much! If I could, I'd be dancing with happiness." Tina giggled softly and imagined Artie up and dancing. **That would be the day…**she thought wistfully.

* * *

**A/N: Hooray, 2 chapters done! Also for all you Klainers out there, I need to remind you that this is NOT a Klaine fic. I literally brought Kurt into the scene to get rid of Blaine. Don't get me wrong, I'm a huge Klainer too. But this is an ArtieOC story.**


	3. Not Part of the Plan

**A/N: For the record, Alex is short for Alexandra and Alex and Blaine were really close when they were kids, hence "Ally" and "Blainey".**

**Disclaimer: I humbly acknowledge that I don't own Glee but that I do own Alex.**

* * *

Chapter 3: Not Part of the Plan

The bell rang to signal the end of the period.

"Finally!" Alex sighed to Tina. "Is it just me or is this math class really boring?"

Tina giggled. "I think it's just you hun. It's not like we've all gone to private schools before this." Alex shrugged in agreement at this.

"So, are you ready to brave the cafeteria for lunch?" asked Alex as the girls walked out of the room together.

"Yup!" replied Tina brightly. "I just have to stop at my locker on the way."

"Okay," said Alex. They continued down the hallway to Tina's locker just as Artie wheeled up from the opposite direction.

"Hey Tina," he said, nodding slightly to her.

"Hi Artie!" Tina turned to Alex. "Alex, this is Artie. Artie, this is Alex. He's in Glee club too," she told her friend.

"Oh yeah, I remember you!" Alex recalled. "And can I just say that you rock the sweater vests?"

Artie looked down at his chest, a little self-consciously. "Thanks," he said quietly. "Everyone else just tells me that I look like a dork, nerd, or loser."

"Hey, hey, hey," Alex said. "No one gets to diss the nerds. Nerds are cool." She smiled. Artie smiled back at her. "So are we ready for lunch, or what? I'm _starving_." Alex exaggerated the last word and glanced back towards Tina…or at least where she was. Alex looked around the hallway, but she was nowhere in sight. Tina had taken advantage of Artie and Alex bonding and slipped away quietly.

**What the hell?** thought Artie. **That was NOT part of the plan. Oh shit. What do I do now?**

"Dude, she totally ditched us," Alex complained.

Artie cleared his throat. "Well you and I can still go get lunch together," he suggested. Alex looked back at him.

"Sure," she said simply and they continued on to the cafeteria.

"Jeez," Artie said, as they picked their way through the crowds. "I'm going to have to show you my favourite place for lunch…nowhere near this crazy cafeteria."

"Sounds like a plan, my friend. Where to?"

**Oh shit, did she just accept my **_**very**_** forward offer?** To say Artie was freaking out would be an understatement. How did he end up in _this_ situation? He was on his way to a secluded area that only a few people knew about and he was with the girl he had a crush on. **Oh shit,** he thought.

* * *

**A/N: Accept the shortness like we all accept Darren's lack of tallness. Thanks for the reviews KlaineLuneville!  
**


	4. Lunchtime Bonding

**A/N: I didn't call this "Of Hockey and Show Choirs" for nothing. There is a reason and I'm about to get to it. Also, I'm sincerely sorry in advance for the hiatus due to my summer job. I'll try to update every week but I make no promises as to whether or not I'll be able to.  
**

**Disclaimer: I humbly acknowledge that I don't own Glee and that I do own Alex.**

* * *

Chapter 4: Lunchtime Bonding

"Do you mind if I ask you something?" asked Alex.

Artie glanced at the girl leaning up against the wall next to him with her eyes closed. "Sure," he said.

"How long have you been in a wheelchair?" Artie snapped to attention immediately. Alex opened her eyes to see Artie uptight and alert rather than calm and relaxed like he had been. "Oh, God," she started, sitting up straighter. "Artie, I didn't mean…I'm sorry…I just wanted to know." She looked at him apologetically. "It's just that your wheelchair seems to be a big part of your life and I want to get to know you so…" she trailed off and shifted her gaze to the floor.

"Eight," said Artie quietly. Alex looked up at him.

"What?"

"Eight," he repeated. "I've been in the chair since I was eight." He took a deep breath before continuing. "I was in a car accident…now I'm in a wheelchair."

"I'm sorry," Alex said softly. "At least you can still sing, right?"

"Yeah…" Artie agreed, not ready to tell her what really mattered to him. Every day since the accident he felt the cool loneliness that came from knowing that he would never dance again. The bell rang, snapping both Artie and Alex back to reality.

"Would you be so kind as to escort me to class?" Alex asked.

"But of course, milady," replied Artie, grinning.

Alex slung her messenger bag over her shoulder and followed Artie back towards the crowded hallways of McKinley. They chatted aimlessly with each other until they reached Alex's classroom and then she turned to face him.

"So I'll see you in Glee club later?" asked Artie hopefully.

Alex shook her head. "I actually can't go today. I have a tryout for one of the teams," she told him. "If it ends before Glee, I'll come by." He smiled and squeezed her hand.

"Well then I will definitely see you tomorrow for lunch," he said. She nodded happily and gave his hand a squeeze back before going into the classroom. He watched her find her seat before he sighed and rolled away.

**What have you gotten yourself into now…**Artie asked himself. **Thank God for free periods,** he thought before heading off in search of one Tina Cohen-Chang.

* * *

**A/N: Once again, it's short like Darren. It was longer, but then it was too long, so I split it. Thanks for the reviews! They make my days :)  
**


	5. Hockey Obviously

**A/N: Welcome to where the hockey part comes into play! Also, just a fair warning, this fic is going to be long. There's just so much that I want to do with it.**

**Disclaimer: I humbly acknowledge that I don't own Glee or McFly's songs. I do own Alex.**

* * *

Chapter 5: Hockey Obviously

Alex stepped out onto the ice and let her skates take control. She had all her gear on but left her helmet on the bench. With her hockey stick in hand, she emptied a bucketful of pucks onto the ice so she could practice. She took half her shots as breakaways and the other half as one-timers. Alex enjoyed the simplicity of skating and the natural feeling of playing hockey.

"So Artie, you have a song you wanted to sing today?" Mr. Schue invited Artie to the front of the choir room.

"I intended to sing this song for someone," he said. "But she had a prior commitment and couldn't make it." Artie gestured to the band and they started to play.

_Recently I've been,_

_Hopelessly reaching_

_Out for this girl,_

_Who's out of this world_

_Believe me._

_She's got a boyfriend_

_He drives me round the bend_

_Cos he's 23_

_He's in the marines_

_He'd kill me_

Alex heard people coming onto the ice. She quickly skated back to the bench and grabbed her helmet. She put it on and stuffed her ponytail up inside of it. Sure it was uncomfortable, but if it got her through the tryout, she'd be fine. Right? The guys clambered onto the ice and skated around a bit, taking no notice of Alex. A whistle blew and Alex snapped back to reality.

"Okay boys! Let's warm up! Two laps of the rink then passing-shooting drill!" Coach Holden yelled.

Alex smiled as she skated around the rink with the boys. She could do this.

_But so many nights now_

_I find myself thinking about her now._

Blaine and Rory joined in with Artie for the chorus of the song. Tina seemed to be content with just staring him down.

_'Cause obviously,_

_She's out of my league_

_But how can I win_

_She keeps draggin' me in and_

_I know I never will be good enough for her_

_No, no_

_Never will be good enough for her_

"All newbies over here!" called the coach. Alex and about fifteen boys skated over to Coach Holden. "Names?" he asked.

Alex caught about three of the seven names said before her. "Alex Davison," she told him.

It was the first time she had spoken at the tryout and several of the boys turned to her with questioning looks. **Shit,** she thought. She hadn't considered that the pitch of her voice would be high enough for them to register it. Thankfully, Holden didn't seem to have noticed and he continued taking the names of the 'newbies'.

"All right," he said gruffly. "Vets, each of you take a newbie and go one-on-one. I'll watch and evaluate."

Alex felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned to see one of the 'vets'. "I'm Ben," he said.

"Alex," she replied.

They bumped fists and Ben gestured to centre-ice. "Let's go," he said. Alex grinned and took a puck with the blade of her stick.

_Gotta escape now_

_Get on a plane now. Yeah_

_Off to L.A and that's where I'll stay, for two years_

_I'll put it behind me (I'll put it behind me)_

_Go to a place where she can't find me, oh_

_'Cause obviously,_

_She's out of my league,_

_I'm wastin' my time_

_'Cause she'll never be mine_

_I know I never will be good enough for her_

_No, no_

_Never will be good enough for her_

Alex and Ben played their one-on-one game. Ben was tough competition for Alex but she never backed down. Every attempt Ben made to block her, Alex dodged away. Finally, she got what she was after. A breakaway. She skated as hard as she could and buried the puck in the back of the net. And that was when she realized that she hadn't gotten a breakaway. Ben had stopped skating. As had everyone else. Getting a horrible feeling in the pit of her stomach, she pulled her hand out of her glove and tentatively reached up to the base of her helmet. She closed her eyes when her suspicion was confirmed. Her ponytail had freed itself from the confines of her helmet. The boys already knew that her voice was too high. It wasn't hard to add two and two from there. She glanced towards the bench and saw Holden with a stormy look in his eyes. Silently, Alex skated over to the bench and walked back to the change room, not caring about what would happen back on the ice.

_She's outta my hands_

_And I never know where I stand_

_Cos I'm not good enough for her_

_He's good enough for her (for her, for her)_

_'Cause obviously,_

_She's out of my league,_

_I'm wastin' my time_

_'Cause she'll never be mine_

_I know I never will be good enough for her_

_No, no_

_Never will be good enough for her_

Artie finished the song and was applauded by the Glee club. They were in the middle of congratulating him on his performance when the door to the choir room opened slowly. Everyone turned to see Alex standing there, covered in sweat, with tears running down her face.

"Can I talk to Artie?" she whispered to no one in particular. Artie released himself from Tina's grasp and rolled full speed towards Alex and out of the choir room.

* * *

**A/N: Bam! Now you see why I had to split the chapter? The song is 'Obviously' by McFly. Thanks again to the wonderful KlaineLuneville for the reviews!  
**


	6. Hot Chocolate and Hugs

**A/N: For anyone that is confused about the last chapter, Alex was trying out for the McKinley hockey team at the same time as Artie was singing, hence the splitting.**

**Disclaimer: I humbly acknowledge that I don't own Glee.**

* * *

Chapter 6: Hot Chocolate and Hugs

Artie pulled Alex down into his lap once they were out in the hallway. He held her to his chest and felt her body shake as she cried.

"Alex," he started slowly, "what happened?"

"I…I tried out for…for the hockey team…" she sobbed. "I thought…I could hide…that I was…that I was a girl…'cause it's a b-boys team…" she clung to Artie's shirt and the tears continued to roll down her face. "My p-ponytail came out…of my helmet…and they heard my voice…and they…they knew. They just…_knew_. And I ran. I left. I c-couldn't stay there…"

Artie held Alex tighter as her sobs overtook her voice. "Shhh," he whispered soothingly, rubbing her back. "It'll be okay. It's going to be all right."

"No it won't," Alex said, shaking her head. "Artie…I need to play. I…I have to be a hockey player. It's all I can do."

Artie tilted her head to look in her eyes. "No it's not all that you can do. You can sing," he told her. "And you and I are going to sing together in Glee when you're ready." He hugged her tightly. "Those hockey guys probably don't even know what you look like, so don't worry about them. You are going to be fine. I promise." He gave her another tight hug. "I'd offer to drive you home, but I don't drive. Do you want Blaine to take you home?" Alex sniffled and nodded silently. "Okay, but you have to get off me." She picked herself up off of Artie's lap and sat down on the floor. Artie returned to the choir room and came out a few moments later with Blaine in tow.

"Hey," said Blaine softly. He reached down and picked his cousin up in his arms. "Let's get you home, okay?" Alex nodded again as more silent tears streamed down her cheeks. "Thank you Artie," he told the other boy.

Blaine carried Alex out to his car and settled her in the front seat. She lived close to the school so she didn't drive there like he did. He drove her home and helped her out of the car. Together they walked up to her door and Alex fumbled with her key to open it. The door swung open finally and Blaine called out to her parents.

"Aunt Nancy? Uncle Oliver?" he called. "It's Blaine and Alex." He turned to his cousin. "Hot chocolate?" he asked. She nodded. Ever since they were kids, their moms had given them hot chocolate when they were upset. It still made them feel better. He had just helped her into the kitchen and put some milk into a pot on the stove when Alex's mom came in.

"Blaine!" she said. "Oh it's so good to see you!" Blaine and Nancy hugged each other.

"It's good to see you too Aunt Nancy," he told her. "Could you possibly direct me towards the hot chocolate squares?"

"Hot chocolate?" Nancy hummed. "That would be in corner cupboard, right next to the candy canes." She turned to see her daughter at the table, still upset. "It looks like you need some hot chocolate baby." She gave Alex a hug from behind. "I know you're not ready yet but come talk to me when you are, okay?" Alex nodded silently. Nancy gave Alex a kiss on the head before leaving the kitchen.

Blaine set two candy canes on the table with a chocolate square stuck on the end of each. He then filled two mugs with the hot milk and set one in front of Alex and one in front of himself. Simultaneously they reached for the candy canes and stirred their milk with the chocolate end of the candy cane until the chocolate was all melted into the milk. Alex's tears had ceased and she unwrapped her candy cane stirred her hot chocolate to get the mint flavour infused in it.

"I tried out for the hockey team," she said quietly. Blaine nearly choked on his hot chocolate.

"You did what?" he asked. "Ally, I know you want to play, but the McKinley team is a boys' team. And most of the jocks here don't take too kindly to people trying to be different." He sighed and sat back in his chair. "Kurt got bullied for being gay. And now a _girl_ tries out for the _boys'_ team? Help me out here Ally."

Alex took a sip of her hot chocolate. "I just thought…going in there with a name like Alex and if I hid my ponytail in my helmet…everything would be fine." Blaine put his hand over hers in comfort. "Turns out I was wrong. My voice was too high but that wasn't a problem until my hair came out of my helmet. Then they all knew. And the coach was furious. Now I'll never play for McKinley." She cast her gaze down into her mug.

"Ally look at me," said Blaine. Alex looked up at her cousin. "We're going to get through this. Okay? And I promise" Blaine squeezed her hand "you will play hockey."

* * *

**A/N: …that was unexpected. Not gonna lie, that chapter kind of wrote itself. Also, if you have never made hot chocolate like that…DO IT!**


	7. I'll Be OK

**A/N: Yay, more McFly music! Also, for the singing: **_Alex_**,** **Blaine, **_**Both.**_

**Disclaimer: I humbly acknowledge that I don't own Glee or McFly's music. I do own Alex.**

* * *

Chapter 7: I'll Be OK

Alex kept her head down at school the next day. She couldn't afford to be seen by any of the hockey players. If they recognized her…she'd feel more than a slushy. Still, she was happy to find a familiar face and wheelchair waiting by her locker at lunchtime.

"Not afraid to be with humiliation central here?" she asked, referring to herself, while digging books out of her locker.

Artie shook his head. "I didn't get slushied for the longest time because I was in a wheelchair. Then they realized that I was still a person and I got slushied just the same." He took her hand. "Trust me. You're still cooler than me."

Alex shrugged and slung her bag over her shoulder before slamming her locker shut. "Still," she said. "What about Glee club? They all must think I'm a loser. I mean, I ditched you guys yesterday and then I just showed up crying my eyes out…"

Artie gave her hand a squeeze. "Relax," he told her. "We're no strangers to tears and we always support our own. No matter what the circumstance. Now. Should we go to lunch?" Alex nodded. "I've got something I wanted to talk to you about."

Alex couldn't help but wonder what Artie could possibly want to talk to her about. Why she tried out for a boys' team? Why she'd asked for him instead of Blaine? Why…? She ran out of time to think of possible conversation topics when she and Artie reached their destination. It was a tucked away corner underneath one of the staircases. Not exactly five-star, but it was their spot. It was quiet and out of the way. Artie slipped out of his chair and took a seat on the floor next to Alex.

"I sang a song for you yesterday," said Artie. Alex choked on her water.

"What?" she asked between coughs.

"In Glee," he clarified. "I sang a song for you even though you weren't there."

"Um, what song?" Alex ignored her lunch and devoted her attention to Artie.

"Um, well, um," he started. "Okay, I sang 'Obviously'."

Alex was surprised. "Really?" she asked. Artie nodded. "But that song…it's…"

"Yeah."

"Is that what you wanted to talk to me about?"

"Yeah." Artie had taken to studying his shoes. They both fell silent.

"Would you sing a song with me tomorrow?" Alex asked suddenly. "I mean, I'd ask for today but Blaine's convinced me to sing with him today."

"Sure," Artie agreed quickly. "What song are we singing?"

Alex shook her head with a grin. "Nope," she told him. "You don't get to find out until tomorrow." Seeing the look on his face she reassured him. "Don't worry. I know that you know it." She gave him a smile and they went back to their lunch.

"Ally!" called Blaine from down the hallway.

"Blainey!" she called back to him. "Are you all ready for our song?"

Blaine nodded. "Although I still think that we need to have something other than McFly performed in Glee," he told her.

"Well aren't there supposed to be weekly Glee assignments?" she asked. Blaine nodded again. "Then let's call it McFly week!" They laughed together as they went into the choir room.

"In the spirit of what has now become McFly week, let's give a welcome to Alex and Blaine," said Mr. Schue before sitting down.

"So, as some of you know, I used to play hockey," Alex told the Glee club. "And as all of you know, I came here yesterday in tears." She took a deep breath. "I tried out for the McKinley hockey team yesterday and I was found out as being a girl. I've been trying to avoid the hockey guys all day, but now I just want to hold my head up high again." She looked directly at Artie and smiled warmly at the boy before turning back to Blaine.

_When everything is going wrong  
And things are just a little strange  
It's been so long now  
You've forgotten how to smile  
_

**And overhead the skies are clear  
But it still seems to rain on you,  
And your only friends all have  
Better things to do  
**

_**When you're down and lost  
And you need a helping hand  
When you're down and lost  
Along the way  
Oh, just tell yourself  
I'll be OK  
**_

**Now things are only getting worse  
And you need someone to take the blame  
When your lover's gone  
There's no-one to share the pain  
**

_You're sleeping with the TV on  
And you're lying in an empty bed  
All the alcohol in the world  
Could never help me to forget  
_

_**When you're down and lost  
And you need a helping hand  
When you're down and lost  
Along the way,  
Just try a little harder  
Try your best to make it  
Through the day,  
Oh just tell yourself  
I'll be OK  
**_

**You're not alone**  
_You're not alone  
_**You're not alone  
**_You're not alone  
__**You're not alone  
**_

**Just tell yourself  
_I'll be OK_**

**Oh, just tell yourself  
_I'll be OK  
_Won't you tell yourself  
**

_**When you're down and lost  
And you need a helping hand  
When you're down and lost  
Along the way,  
Try a little harder  
Try your best to make it  
Through the day  
**_

_**Oh, just tell yourself  
I'll be OK  
I'll be OK  
I'll be OK  
**_

Alex and Blaine hugged as the Glee club burst into applause. Just at that moment, a knock was heard at the choir room door. Everyone looked up to find a boy in a McKinley hockey jersey standing in the doorway.

"Uh, hi," he said nervously. "I'm looking for Alex Davison?"

Alex stepped away from Blaine. "That's me," she said, holding up her head. "And you are?"

"Ben," the boy told her. "Ben Murphy. You played hockey with me yesterday."

**Oh shit, **thought Alex. **He's here to slushy me. He's here to make me cry. He's here to embarrass me in front of my friends. He's here to…** Alex's thought process was paused when Ben threw something to her. She caught it in her hands but she couldn't quite figure out what it was. "What is it?" she asked.

"Your new jersey," answered Ben. "Practices are Tuesdays and Thursdays after school." His task completed, Ben turned and left the room.

"Wait!" called Alex. She chased him out into the hallway. "What are you talking about?"

Ben turned to face her. "Coach didn't like the fact that you left yesterday," he said. "But he liked your play." Alex looked down at the jersey in her hands.

"So I'm in?"

"You're in," Ben told her and then he walked away.

Alex walked back into the choir room, slightly dazed from the interaction. She saw the entire Glee club staring at her expectantly.

"Well?" asked Tina.

"What happened?" asked Rory.

"Are you okay?" asked Artie.

"Ally…" started Blaine.

Alex put up a hand to silence everyone. "I'm in!" she cried. "I made the team!"

There was applause once again and people saying "congratulations!" but all that mattered to Alex was that she was happy. She had Blaine, she had hockey, and she had Artie singing with her tomorrow. **And maybe,** she thought. **Maybe tomorrow, I'll have Artie too.** She smiled softly to herself and let the hugs and high-fives continue.

* * *

**A/N: Yay, happiness! We're not done yet though, so stay tuned! Also, the song is McFly's "I'll Be OK". Please review! They keep me writing!  
**


	8. Leading

**A/N: So one of my besties told me that my ArtiexAlex pairing (aka Arlex) was moving way too fast so I've decided to slow it down a bit. Singing: **_Alex_**, Artie, **_**Both.**_

**Disclaimer: I humbly acknowledge that I don't own Glee or McFly's music and I do own Alex.**

* * *

Chapter 8: Leading

"Alex!" called a voice. The girl turned to see Artie rolling up to her locker. Classes had just ended and Alex just wanted to close her eyes and sleep.

"Please tell me you have coffee," she said. "My head is _killing_ me."

Artie looked at his shoes. "Um, I actually don't have coffee. But we could go to the Lima Bean after Glee?" He looked hopeful.

"Right. Glee." Alex massaged her temples. "I changed our song. Is that okay with you?" She and Artie started to make their way to the choir room.

"Given that I didn't know the original song you had in mind, I'm going to go with yes, it's fine."

"Good. And if you don't know this song, bad things will happen to you Artie Abrams." Alex managed to crack a smile for her friend as they reached their destination. Artie held the door for Alex and she took a seat on the lowest level so she could sit next to Artie.

"Welcome back to another day of Glee!" said Mr. Schue with an unbelievable amount of enthusiasm. Alex rolled her eyes. "As I understand it, Alex and Artie have a song they want to sing for us." The Glee club applauded as Alex and Artie made their way to the front of the room.

"Artie, you take Danny, I'll take Tom," Alex said. "My head is gonna kill me for this later, but I'm committed now." She gestured to the band.  
_Here's another song for the Radio!_

_Life isn't fair for the people who care  
Stick your nose in the air and that's how you go far  
So go tell your lovers, your fathers and brothers  
Your sisters and mothers, how lucky they are_

Artie was ready for his part. Alex was right. He did know the song. He grinned as he sang. He knew this song well.

**Light speed, out of my mind!  
I'm hurt, but I'll be fine  
Put your fist in the air  
Raise your voice and declare  
Singing "we don't care!"  
**_**WE DON'T CARE!**_**  
"We don't care!"  
**_**WE DON'T CARE!**__  
_  
_**So here's another song for the radio  
And here's another line from the heart  
So don't pretend you hate us and then sing along  
Cause we all look the same in the dark  
**__  
L.A. temptations or music sensations  
There's great expectations that weigh on our heads  
So here's to the liars who dream and conspire  
Against the admired, we hope you drop dead  
_  
**Light speed, out of my mind!  
I'm hurt, but I'll be fine  
Put your fist on your chest  
Raise your voice in protest  
Singing "we don't care!"  
**_**WE DON'T CARE!  
**_**"We don't care!"  
**_**WE DON'T CARE!  
**_  
_**So here's another song for the radio  
And here's another line from the heart  
So don't pretend you hate us and then sing our songs  
Cause we all look the same in the dark  
**_  
_**We don't. We don't care!  
We don't. We don't care!  
We don't. We don't care!  
We don't. We don't care!  
**_  
**Here's one for the radio  
Here's one for the radio  
Here's one for the radio  
Here's one for the radio  
**  
**So here's another song for the radio!  
**_**And here's another line from the heart  
So don't pretend you hate us and then sing our songs  
Cause we all look the same in the dark  
**_  
_Here's another song for the radio!  
_**Song for the radio  
**_And here's another line from the heart  
So don't pretend you hate us and then sing along  
Cause we all look the same in the dark  
_**For the radio  
**_Cause we all look the same in the dark  
We all look the same in the dark  
_**For the radio  
**_Cause we all look the same  
We all look the same in the dark!_

The Glee club applauded the pair again. Alex gave Artie a hug before she was whisked away from the boy by Tina.

"Tina, what are you doing?" asked Alex.

"Alex what are _you_ doing?" Tina countered. "You've been here for a week and Artie is already head over heels for you. Don't you think that you might be leading him on?"

Alex shifted the weight in her feet. "Yeah I do," she told the older girl. "That's why I changed the song we were going to sing today." Alex sighed and looked Tina square in the eye. "Look Tina, I'm not going to lie. I like him. I really do. And yeah, we bonded over our shared love of McFly. But I swear to you. I don't want to lead him into something that he's going to regret. That's why, if he asks me out when we go for coffee today, I'm going to say no."

"Wait a second," said Tina. "You just told me that you feel for Artie the same way he feels for you. And you're planning on turning him down? Are you insane?"

"No, but I'm mindful. And I know that people can change once they're in a relationship. I don't want Artie to regret asking me out."

* * *

**A/N: Angsty much? Next chapter is the infamous coffee non-date. Also, the song is "One For the Radio" by McFly.  
**


	9. Coffee NotADate

**A/N: So I just realized that I've made Tina a raissoneur! If you don't know what that is, go look it up. Your English teachers will thank me later.**

**Disclaimer: I humbly acknowledge that I don't own Glee and I do own Alex.**

* * *

Chapter 9: Coffee Not-A-Date

Alex drove her and Artie to the Lima Bean and Artie insisted on paying for her.

"Can I have a medium double-double and a tall cappuccino please?" asked Artie. Alex stared at him as he paid. She continued to stare as they got their drinks and sat at a table.

"How did you know?" she demanded.

"How did I know what?" he asked.

"My coffee order," she clarified. "I always get a tall cappuccino. Always. And you knew that even though we've never gotten coffee before. So how did you know?"

"I may have…askedBlainewhatyoulike," he said quickly.

"You asked…Blaine?"

Artie nodded. "While you were talking to Tina." At the mention of Tina, Alex choked a bit on her coffee. "And I kind of wanted to know what you two were talking about?"

"Why?" asked Alex.

"Well…" he hesitated. "It just seemed weird that she would have to talk to you privately. She doesn't normally keep things from me. So I was curious about what you were talking about."

Alex stared at her coffee, unsure of how she was supposed to respond. "Tina's afraid that I'm leading you on," she said finally.

"Are you leading me on?" asked Artie.

"Do you want to go out with me?" Alex countered.

"Yes," he answered. Alex looked down again.

"That's what she's worried about," she told him. "Tina's afraid that you fell too quickly for me."

"I can honestly say that I've never felt this way about anyone else," he said.

"But why me?" she asked desperately. "I'm a mess and a handful. I run around with the mentality that I can do anything and then I break down when it doesn't go the way I planned it." She paused for a breath. "Artie, we've known each other a week. One small week. Don't _you_ think that this is a little rushed?"

"I don't," he confessed. "But if you want me to wait before I ask you out, then I'll wait. I'll wait for you."

Alex gave him a small smile. "I just don't want you to do anything you might regret."  
Artie looked her in the eye. "I don't think I could ever regret you," he said.

* * *

**A/N: I kinda just want to go "Awwwwwwwwww!" at Artie's last line. I may have turned him into a romantic sweetheart! Thanks to those who had reviewed! They make me happy :D  
**


	10. Ice Belongs Under My Feet

**A/N: I'm sorry. Really. Please don't hate me for this?**

**Disclaimer: I humbly acknowledge that I don't own Glee and I do own Alex.**

* * *

Chapter 10: Ice Belongs Under My Feet

It was Tuesday. Alex was excited. She was also incredibly nervous. It was her first hockey practice with McKinley. She was allowed to be nervous. It sucked that she'd have to miss Glee club, but she was just happy to be playing hockey again.

She had lunch with Artie again. It seemed to be their thing. They would meet up at Alex's locker and then go sit underneath the farthest staircase from the cafeteria to eat their lunch.

"Alex, calm down," Artie told the bouncing girl after they sat down.

"I can't. Do you realize how exciting this is?" she asked him. "I'm playing hockey again and I'm on a boys' team. I call this progress towards less discrimination in this school and women playing in the NHL!" He stared at her. "My excitement level is about equal to McFly playing a concert in Columbus," she clarified.

"Oh," he said. "That is pretty big then."

Alex nodded. "And I'm so excited because I'll get to prove to them that I'm just as good, if not better than them, and I deserve to be on the team."

"Well, just try to stop…bouncing," said Artie.

She stopped. But she couldn't stop thinking about it. This was literally one of the greatest days of her life. The last time she had been this ecstatic was when she auditioned for Glee club, sang 'Transylvania', seen Artie for the first time, and been reunited with Blaine.

After school ended, Artie met Alex at her locker again.

"Shouldn't you be going to Glee club?" she asked him.

"Not until I walk you to the locker room," he answered. "I can't have you passing out due to pure excitement before you even get to practice."

She laughed and took his hand in hers and they made their way through the hallways. Alex didn't walk though. She was back to bouncing. When they finally reached the change room, Artie was unwilling to release Alex. She turned to face him and recognized the look in his eyes. It was the same look he had when he said that he sung 'Obviously' for her.

"Is it still too soon?" he asked.

Alex pondered the question. "I'll tell you after practice," she told him. Artie accepted the girl's answer and squeezed her hand before letting it go.

"Have a good practice," he said quietly and then he turned away.

Alex let herself into the locker room and changed as quickly as she could. She didn't want to waste one second of ice time. The more time she had on her skates, the better. She pulled her new jersey over her head, grabbed her helmet, gloves, and stick, and made her way into the arena, prepared for whatever the Coach Holden had to offer.

She was not prepared for what the rest of the team had to offer though. As she walked through to the rink, she was met by several slushies to the face.

"Did I say _Tuesdays_ and Thursdays?" taunted an all-too familiar voice. "I'm sorry. I meant _Mondays_ and Thursdays."  
**Ben,** she thought. **The loser.**

"Y-you g-guys don't know what you're m-missing," she stuttered through the cold slushy. "C-come f-find me when y-you're about t-to lose a championship and I'll w-win it single-handedly."

"Oh yeah?" asked another voice. "Well guess what. You've been playing with girls for too long. Girls have nothing on the speed, stamina, and skills of guys." A taunting laugh erupted from the team and then Ben spoke again.

"Just go crying back to your little loser Glee club Alex," he said viciously so only she could hear. "We don't want you here." She turned to leave, but she was stopped. "Oh and before you go," started Ben. She turned back to him and found another slushy being thrown in her face. The team laughed again as Alex walked as fast as she could in her skates back to the change room.

* * *

**A/N: Again, I'm sorry! Thank you to every on who has favourited this story or who follows it! Please review so I know how you like it!  
**


	11. Regression

**A/N: Just…bear with me, kay? I'mma make it all better. Soon.**

**Disclaimer: I humbly acknowledge that I don't own Glee and I do own Alex.**

* * *

Chapter 11: Regression

Hot tears forced their way through the ice and food colouring down Alex's cheeks. She tore off her jersey and chucked it into the nearest garbage can. She threw her gloves and helmet against the nearby lockers and then collapsed on the bench. She knew she'd have to wash her face soon before the dye started to sting her eyes but right now she just _didn't care._ All the same she grabbed her towel and wiped the ice from her face.

Slowly, she removed all her hockey equipment and stored the pieces in her locker. She could come back another day to bring them home. When she was down to her under-armour layers, she walked over to the sinks to wash her face. The dye came out of her eyes and the stinging stopped, but her face had a red tint on one side and a blue tint on the other. Sighing in defeat she returned to her locker to finish changing. As she pulled on her jeans, the tears rolled freely from her eyes again and she did nothing to stop them. She didn't want to stop them.

Alex had every intention of not disturbing Glee club again but just walking home. She didn't count on Artie going back to Glee from the washroom. She didn't see him, but he saw her and immediately went to her side.

"Alex?" he asked tentatively. The girl dropped her bag and sunk into his lap. Artie hugged her tightly as she cried into his shoulder. "Shhh," he soothed. "It's okay. It'll be okay."

"They d-didn't want me," she stuttered through the sobs. "They didn't want me Artie. They lied. He lied."

"They don't deserve you," he told her.

"What am I supposed to do now?" she asked. Her tears let up slightly. "Hockey is all I want to do."

"You could just be in Glee club," he suggested.

"But what about later? Playing in the NHL is my dream," she said. "If I don't play now, I'll never get there. I'll never be able to live my dream. Do you even know what that feels like?"

Artie tensed up beneath her. **She doesn't know,** he told himself. **You never told her; she couldn't know.** He tried to relax again but he couldn't shake the feeling the she was being selfish and blatantly disregarding him even though the logical side of his brain told him that she wasn't. Thankfully, Blaine poked his head out of the choir room door at that moment. He took one look at the pair and made a motion to step back inside.

"Wait, Blaine," Artie called out to him. Blaine walked over to his friend and his cousin. "I think she needs someone to take her home."

"I think you're right," said Blaine. He rubbed his cousin's shoulder. "Hey Ally," he said softly. "Time to go home."

"Blainey, why are they so mean?" she asked. "Why won't they let me play?" Blaine's eyes widened at Alex's regression to a child-like state. His aunt told him about it. It happened when she was very distraught or very stressed. He thought she had stopped. Apparently she hadn't.

"I don't know Ally," he finally told her. "But we've got to get you home so you can have some hot chocolate to make you feel better."

"Okay," she murmured. Blaine picked Alex up into his arms. Giving a nod to his friend, Blaine walked away from Artie and towards the parking lot.

Artie watched Blaine and Alex disappear from his sights. He sighed. He hated seeing her like this. He had to do something to make her feel better. But what?

* * *

**A/N: To ease your curious minds…yes Artie will tell Alex about his dream to be a dancer. Eventually. Also, the regression thing...all will be explained. I promise. Don't forget to review please! I like to know when my work is being read  
**


	12. Solution

**A/N: So, one of my besties was complaining about Alex for reasons which I don't actually remember...yet I promised to make it work and I always keep my promises :) Don't forget to review!  
**

**Disclaimer: I humbly acknowledge that I don't own Glee.**

* * *

Chapter 12: Solution

True to his word, Blaine to Alex home and made some hot chocolate for her. As she sat in her bedroom drinking it, Blaine went back to the kitchen to talk to his aunt.

"Aunt Nancy?" he asked. Nancy looked up from the newspaper she was reading.

"Blaine! How's my baby doing?"

Blaine hesitated. "Actually that's what I wanted to talk to you about." He sat down at the table across from his aunt. "She got slushied by the hockey team today after they told her that they had lied to her about making the team."

"She regressed, didn't she?" Nancy asked, already knowing the answer. Blaine nodded. "This is getting to be a problem," Nancy sighed.

"Aunt Nancy, I thought you said it stopped," said Blaine.

"It _had_ stopped," she explained. "When we were in Nashville, before moving to Lima, she got better. All last year we were regression-free."

"But you were in Nashville for three years, right?" Nancy nodded in confirmation. "I think it stopped because she got comfortable. She just wants to stay in one place for awhile and have some stability."

Nancy looked down at her feet. "It was so hard not to," she said. "Oliver loved playing hockey and I love Oliver. When he retired, he couldn't get used to the idea of staying in one place. Those three years in Nashville drove him crazy."

Blaine was silent for a moment. "I want to help Ally," he said. "I think I know something that might help, but I'll need your help."

"Of course Blaine," she said. "I want to help my baby just as much as you do."

Blaine returned to Alex's room to find her lying face down on her bed, hot chocolate mug sitting on her beside table.

"Alexandra Marie Davison get up from that bed right now and listen to me," said Blaine harshly. Alex sat up but kept her eyes trained on the floor. "Ally, you cannot keep going on like this."

"Like what?" she mumbled.

"Like this!" Blaine gestured with his hands. "Ally, this regression problem is getting you nowhere. I know it's your defence mechanism because of the moving and instability, but enough's enough. You're sixteen years old. It's time to face the problem head on instead of running from it." Alex lifted her gaze to her cousin's. "Do you really think that regressing every time you don't get your way is going to make things happen? No. It just makes people pissed off that they have to treat a teenager like she's six. Running away is not going to get you on the hockey team Ally. And, you want Artie?" She nodded slightly. "Artie fell for the cool, confident, McFly-loving girl he saw on the first day of school and, right now, you're not her. This regression is going to drive him away from you and that would make you worse."

Alex looked back down at the floor. "But I don't know what to do," she whispered.

"You are going to get up tomorrow and be Alex Davison," Blaine told her. "You are going to go to school, have lunch with Artie, and then go to Glee club after school. And then you are going to tell everyone in Glee about your regression and ask for their help to work through it. Okay?"

"Okay," said Alex softly. "You know I love you, right Blaine?"

"Yeah," he said. "Yeah, I know."

* * *

**A/N: Harsh words there Blainers. Harsh, but necessary. Also, regression to childhood is a real thing. It is a psychological defence mechanism that kicks in when a person is under stress or is frustrated. In Alex's case, her father played hockey in the ECHL and was frequently traded so the family had to move around the country a lot. Because of this, Alex had no stability when she was growing up and was never able to make long-lasting friendships. To make up for this, her parents tended to spoil her, leading to the learned behaviour that she got her way when she whined (basically). As she grew up, her mother (being the primary parental figure) never discouraged the behaviour and this led to her regression whenever something doesn't go her way.**


	13. The Hardest Thing

**A/N: So, I'm super upset that I haven't been getting any reviews recently...But I'm going to keep posting this story because it's my baby and it caused me a lot of pain to write and I would just feel horrible if there were people reading it and I left it incomplete. On that note, if you are a faithful reader, please drop me a note every once in a while to let me know what you think.  
**

**Disclaimer: I humbly acknowledge that I don't own Glee or Simple Plan's music and I do own Alex.**

* * *

Chapter 13: The Hardest Thing

"Hey," said Artie, wheeling up to Alex's locker at lunchtime.

"Hey," she answered. She closed her locker and turned to her friend. "Ready for lunch?"

Artie nodded. "More than ready," he said.

He took her hand and led her down the hallways to their stairwell. Somehow over the course of the past couple weeks it had gone from being the spot where Artie went for some privacy to 'their' stairwell. Still, he wasn't complaining. Alex wasn't either. She enjoyed Artie's company.

Settling down onto the floor, Artie could hold in his curiosity anymore. "Alex, how are you?" he asked.

"Me? I'm fine," she told him. He grabbed her and turned her face towards his with his other hand.

"No you're not," he said. "Please don't pretend that you haven't had two breakdowns in the span of a week and you're _fine_."

Alex took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Okay. You're right. I'm not fine." She looked him in the eye. "I've been better. Much better. I have a problem that I'm trying to work through."

"What kind of problem?" Artie asked her.

She shook her head. "Not right now," she said. "I-I'm going to tell everyone later. In Glee. I'm doing it because I need help and it's not fair to keep you guys in the dark like this. But I can't tell you right now. This is something I've carried around with me for so long and…I just need the rest of the day to get myself mentally prepared."

Artie just looked at Alex for a moment and then wrapped her in his arms. "Okay," he said. "You take all the time you need and remember that I'm always here for you."

* * *

"Alright guys, it's that time again!" announced Mr. Schue as he entered the choir room. "It's time to start thinking about Sectionals!"

Alex raised her hand tentatively. "Excuse me, Mr. Schue?" she said. "There's something I need to say to everyone first." She made her way to the front of the room and motioned for Blaine to stay in his seat. "This is going to be really hard for me to say because I've never told anyone about it before." Taking a deep breath she prepared herself. "Most people are able to use mature defense mechanisms. I can't. My defense mechanism when I get scared, stressed, or upset is what's called 'neurotic'. I use regression." Every pair of eyes in the room was fixed on Alex. "I went to see a psychologist two years ago when I lived in Nashville and she said that it was probably caused by all the moving that my family did when my dad played hockey. We never lived anywhere longer than two years. Basically what happens is when something doesn't go my way I get upset and/or stressed. And then I start acting like a six-year-old. And…" Alex paused to wipe a tear from her eye "it just really sucks and I don't know what to do anymore. Not to be rude, but I don't think you guys really get how this makes me feel." Gesturing to the band, she started singing.

_Can anybody hear me?  
Or am I talking to myself?  
My mind is running empty  
In the search for someone else  
Who doesn't look right through me.  
It's all just static in my head  
Can anybody tell me why I'm lonely like a satellite?_

_'Cause tonight I'm feeling like an astronaut_  
_Sending SOS from this tiny box_  
_And I lost all signal when I lifted up_  
_Now I'm stuck out here and the world forgot_  
_Can I please come down? (Come down)_  
_'Cause I'm tired of drifting around and round (and round)_  
_Can I please come down?_

Artie watched Alex singing with tears in her eyes and he felt his heart breaking. She'd told him. On their coffee date, she'd said that she breaks down when she doesn't get her way. He didn't realise that she literally meant that.

_I'm deafened by the silence  
Is it something that I've done?  
I know that there are millions  
I can't be the only one who's so disconnected  
It's so different in my head.  
Can anybody tell me why I'm lonely like a satellite?_

_'Cause tonight I'm feeling like an astronaut_  
_Sending SOS from this tiny box_  
_And I lost all signal when I lifted up_  
_Now I'm stuck out here and the world forgot_  
_Can I please come down? (Come down)_  
_'Cause I'm tired of drifting around and round (and round)_  
_Can I please come down?_

_Now I lie awake and scream in a zero gravity  
And it's starting to weigh down on me.  
Let's abort this mission now  
Can I please come down?_

_So tonight I'm calling all astronauts_  
_All the lonely people that the world forgot_  
_If you hear my voice come pick me up_  
_Are you out there?_  
_'Cause you're all I've got!_

_And tonight I'm feeling like an astronaut_  
_Sending SOS from this tiny box_  
_And I lost all signal when I lifted up_  
_Now I'm stuck out here and the world forgot_

_'Cause tonight I'm feeling like an astronaut  
Sending SOS from this tiny box  
To the lonely people that the world forgot  
Are you out there?  
'Cause you're all I've got!  
_

He fell for the broken girl and he didn't even know she was broken. Now he was more determined than ever to fix her. To make her feel better again. He couldn't help but love her.

_Can I please come down?  
'Cause I'm tired of drifting round and round.  
Can I please come down?_

The tears were rolling freely down the faces of every person in the choir room. Alex lifted hers and looked directly at her peers. Time for confidence. Singing in front of a crowd or playing hockey was one thing. This was so much harder. It was the hardest thing she would ever have to do.

"Can you guys help me get through this?"

* * *

**A/N: Um. I don't really know what to say. The song is 'Astronaut' by Simple Plan. Many thanks to my bestie for helping me out with the song choice. **


	14. I'll Be There For You

**A/N: I'm determined to get this story finished soon because it is literally plaguing my mind. **_Blaine_**, Artie, **Tina**, **_**Everyone**_

**Disclaimer: I humbly acknowledge that I don't own Glee or Bon Jovi's music and I do own Alex.**

* * *

Chapter 14: I'll Be There For You

Alex didn't know what to do. She'd just told her deepest, darkest secret to the entire Glee club and asked, no begged, for their help. And they just sat there, still processing the information. Silently she sat in the farthest chair from the rest of the group. She tucked herself into the chair in the corner and buried her face in her knees. That's when she heard it. Singing.

_I guess this time you're really leaving  
I heard your suitcase say goodbye  
Well as my broken heart lies bleeding  
You say true love is suicide_

Blaine was singing for her. No, now Tina was.

You say you've cried a thousand rivers  
And now you're swimming for the shore  
You left me drowning in my tears  
And you won't save me anymore

**Now I'm praying to God you'll give me one more chance, girl  
**

Alex lifted her head when she heard Artie's beautiful voice asking her for another chance.

_**I'll be there for you  
These five words I swear to you  
When you breathe I want to be the air for you  
I'll be there for you**_

The whole club joined in. Alex could hear Blaine, Tina, and Artie's voices above the others but she knew that they were all there. All saying they loved her.

_**I'd live and I'd die for you  
I'd steal the sun from the sky for you  
Words can't say what love can do  
I'll be there for you  
**_  
_I know you know we've had some good times  
Now they have their own hiding place  
Well I can promise you tomorrow  
But I can't buy back yesterday  
_

Blaine walked up to Alex and took her hand. He led her down the steps where he, Artie, and Tina surrounded her.

**And baby you know my hands are dirty  
But I wanted to be your Valentine  
I'll be the water when you get thirsty, baby  
When you get drunk, I'll be the wine  
**  
_**I'll be there for you  
These five words I swear to you  
When you breathe I want to be the air for you  
I'll be there for you  
I'd live and I'd die for you  
Steal the sun from the sky for you  
Words can't say what a love can do  
I'll be there for you**_

**And I wasn't there when you were happy  
I wasn't there when you were down  
**_I didn't mean to miss your birthday, baby  
I wish I'd seen you blow those candles out  
_  
_**I'll be there for you  
These five words I swear to you  
When you breathe I want to be the air for you  
I'll be there for you  
I'd live and I'd die for you  
Steal the sun from the sky for you  
Words can't say what a love can do  
I'll be there for you **_

Alex didn't think she had any tears left in her to cry out but they kept rolling down her face. Artie pulled her towards him and hugged her tightly.

"I'm here for you Alex," he said. "Don't you ever forget that." He reached up and wiped the tears from her cheeks.

"Thank you," she whispered to Artie. "Thank you," she repeated louder for everyone to hear. "The first thing I need to do is show that jerk-face Ben that he can't slushy me and insult me and expect to get away with it. Feel like helping me out with that?"

* * *

**A/N: Yeah…yeah I know. Most of the words in this chapter aren't mine…but they get the point across! Thank you very much for your reviews guys! Keep them coming!  
**


	15. Planning and Dreaming

**A/N: My mind right now (right now being when I actually wrote this...) is kind of like "must…write…must…finish…story…" Thanks for the reviews! Keep 'em coming!  
**

**Disclaimer: I humbly acknowledge that I don't own Glee and I do own Alex.**

* * *

Chapter 15: Planning and Dreaming

"So how are you planning on dealing with Ben?" asked Artie when he and Alex were alone.

"Honestly, I don't really know," she answered. "I mean, the whole point is I have to do something mature, to teach myself that I can solve problems in an adult way, but I don't know what to do."

"What do you want to do?"

Alex shrugged. "Right now I want to punch him in the face and then see how he likes slushies in his eyes."

"But that's an immature response."

"Exactly." They sat in silence for a moment before Alex broke it. "What do _you_ think I should do?"

Artie thought for a moment. "You could always sing," he offered.

"Really?" she asked. "That's a mature way of dealing with the situation?"

Artie shook his head. "Singing doesn't deal with the situation," he explained. "Singing allows you to vent your emotions before sitting down to have a rational conversation about the situation. Singing acts like an on-ramp to a freeway. It lets the other person understand where you're coming from."

Alex nodded slowly. "Okay," she said. "I think I get it. So I sing the song to him and then we sit down and figure out the real reason why he doesn't want me on the team?"

"Exactly," said Artie. "Except you have to remember to not freak out or claim that you should be on the team just because of your talent. That usually doesn't sit well with other people." He looked away from Alex. "Don't assume things about other people either," he added.

"Why did you sound bitter there?" she asked.

"It's nothing," he insisted.

"Don't 'nothing' me," she said. "You're helping me through my problem and I want to help you with yours. I know there's something."

Artie sighed. He hadn't planned on telling her like this. "It's just…after you got slushied and you were afraid you'd never play hockey again…you asked me if I even knew what it was like to know that I'd never live my dream." Alex nodded. She remembered that 'conversation'. "Well…I do know what it's like," he told her. "And, unlike you, I can't do anything to make my dream a reality. You _can_ live your dream. I can't. And I never will."

Alex looked stunned for a moment. "What was – _is_ your dream Artie?" she finally asked.

He looked her in the eyes. "To be a dancer," he said.

Her eyes widened. "Shit, Artie," she said. "I didn't know…shit…I'm so sorry I said that."

"It's okay," he said. "Really. I'm okay with it. But you can't do that with other people, okay? You can't assume things without some sort of idea of the truth."

* * *

**A/N: So I've had hopeless romantic Artie, comforting teddy bear Artie, and now teacher Artie? Whatever next?**


	16. You Don't Know Me

**A/N: I think we're almost at the end. Don't quote me on that though. I reserve the right to take it back later.**

**Disclaimer: I humbly acknowledge that I don't own Glee or Kelly Clarkson's music and I do own Alex.**

* * *

Chapter 16: You Don't Know Me

Alex laced up her skates in the change room. She wasn't wearing anything special, no equipment, no jersey; it was just her and her skates. She headed out onto the ice and allowed herself to skate around the arena to warm up a bit.

Today was Thursday, so she didn't have much time left to herself before the hockey team arrived for practice. She took out her phone and sent a quick text to Artie, Blaine, and Tina and then slipped the phone back into her pocket.

**From Alex: Show time.**

Slowly, the boys of the hockey team filled the ice as the members of the Glee club filled the stands. The hockey team looked uncomfortable. Alex smirked. They should be uncomfortable. Here she was, bouncing back not two days after their slushy attack, literally standing in their arena. Ben pushed his way through his teammates.

"What the fuck you guys?" he asked loudly. "You should be warming up –" He stopped when he saw Alex. "Well, well. Look guys. The little girl has come back to play."

Ben's voice made Alex's blood boil. She wanted to lash out at him. But a glance over his shoulder to Artie cooled her anger.

"Damn right I'm back to play," she said. "I thought we could make it a fair fight this time though."

"What do you…?" Ben trailed off when he heard music coming loudly through the speakers. He looked back at Alex and she began to sing.

_Mr. Know It All  
Well ya think you know it all  
But ya don't know a thing at all  
Ain't it, ain't it something y'all  
When somebody tells you something 'bout you  
Think that they know you more than you do  
So you take it down another pill to swallow  
_

The hockey team back away from Ben, intimidated by Alex's voice.

_Mr. Bring Me Down  
Well ya, ya like to bring me down, don't you?  
But I ain't laying down, baby, I ain't goin' down  
Can't nobody tell me how it's gonna be  
Nobody's gonna make a fool out of me  
Baby, you should know that I lead not follow  
_

She began to circle him – a motion very familiar to her on her skates.

_Oh you think that you know me, know me  
That's why I'm leaving you lonely, lonely  
'Cause baby you don't know a thing about me  
You don't know a thing about me  
You ain't got the right to tell me  
When and where to go, no right to tell me  
Acting like you own me lately  
Yeah baby you don't know a thing about me  
You don't know a thing about me_

_Mr. Play Your Games  
Only got yourself to blame when you want me back again  
But I ain't falling back again  
'Cause I'm living my truth without your lies  
Let's be clear baby this is goodbye  
I ain't coming back tomorrow  
_

Alex backed away from Ben. Girls couldn't skate like boys. Her ass they couldn't. She skated the length of the ice before sprinting back to Ben. She stopped abruptly and sprayed snow onto his legs.

_Oh you think that you know me, know me  
That's why I'm leaving you lonely, lonely  
'Cause baby you don't know a thing about me  
You don't know a thing about me  
You ain't got the right to tell me  
When and where to go, no right to tell me  
Acting like you own me lately  
Yeah baby you don't know a thing about me  
You don't know a thing about me_

_So what you've got the world at your feet_  
_And you know everything about everything_  
_But you don't_  
_You still think I'm coming back but baby you'll see yeah..._

_Oh you think that you know me, know me_  
_That's why I'm leaving you lonely, lonely_  
_'Cause baby you don't know a thing about me_  
_You don't know a thing about me_  
_You ain't got the right to tell me_  
_When and where to go, no right to tell me_  
_Acting like you own me lately_  
_Yeah baby you don't know a thing about me_  
_You don't know a thing about me_

She skated around him and put her back to the rest of the team like she was separating him from his only source of strength.

_Mr. Know It All  
Well ya think you know it all  
But ya don't know a thing at all  
Yeah baby you don't know a thing about me  
You don't know a thing about me_

Alex was only slightly out of breath when she finished, but it was worth it. Artie was right. She could vent all her emotions out through song. So with her emotions in check, she looked Ben straight in the eye and said: "We need to talk."

Ben could only swallow the lump in his throat and nod.

* * *

**A/N: Damn, I really wanted to have their conversation in this chapter, but then it would've been too long. Song is "Mr. Know It All" by Kelly Clarkson. Don't forget to review!  
**


	17. The Talk

**A/N: Hey all! I'm only going to say this once so listen up. TEN CHAPTERS LEFT!  
**

**Disclaimer: I humbly acknowledge that I don't own Glee and I do own Alex.**

* * *

Chapter 17: The Talk

Ben hesitated when Alex led him to the door of the girls' change room. Alex stopped and turned.

"No one's in here," she said. "And I've got the New Directions guarding the other door." Still slightly unnerved, he followed her into the change room. They sat down across from each other and just stared for a moment. "I'll start I guess. Why don't you want me on the team?" she asked.

Ben snorted. "How is that even a question? You're a girl. This is a boys' team," he said.

"And I haven't shown that I'm as good as you?" she snapped. "Sorry," she apologized quickly. "Artie told me I shouldn't say stuff like that."

"He's the kid in the wheelchair, right? He's helping you through some shit, isn't he?"

Alex deflected her eyes. "Answer my question first," she said. "Why don't you want me on the team? And don't say it's because I'm a girl. I know that's not the real reason."

"Alex, you're smart," said Ben. "And you're a good hockey player." A smile played at Alex's lips. "And you've got guts. It really took something for you to come back here after what we – what I did to you. And to sing that song? Fuck. If I had half the strength you do, I'd have let you onto the team when you first tried out." Alex looked confused so Ben continued.

"I know you've got shit going on in your life," he said. "And I know that to turn around like you did it means that you've got a lot of people backing you up and helping you. My guess is it's the Glee club." Alex nodded and tried to speak but Ben stopped her. "I also know that you'd have done this after the try-out if you had the support. But you didn't which means that you only told them about your shit recently. That – that right there is why you've got guts. I've never told anyone my shit." Ben concluded his speech and looked down at his hands.

Alex reached forward and took one of his hands in her own. "Hey," she said. "Not everyone can be strong all the time. Yeah, Artie and the Glee club are helping me through my shit. And I think it would be really good for both of us if…I could help you through yours." Ben took his eyes off their joined hands to look at Alex.

"Y-you'd help me?" he asked in disbelief. "After what I did? And you don't even know what my shit is."

Alex nodded. "If you'll tell me _why_ you did it," she said.

Ben took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. "I didn't want you on the team because you're good." Alex was taken aback.

"Wait, what?" she asked.

"You're good," he repeated. "Like, you're really good. Better than me. And I was afraid that you'd overshadow me and I'd lose the captain position and my 'tough-guy' exterior and then where would I be?" He sighed. "I can't be there right now. It would make the next thing I have to do harder than it's already going to be."

"What's that?"

"I have to come out of the closet."

* * *

**A/N: Remind me who's writing this again? 'Cause I'm pretty sure I did NOT plan on a gay Ben. *sigh***


	18. I Was Born Ready

**A/N: Thanks to everyone who has taken the time to read my baby (aka this story :P). There are 9 chapters left after this. 9!  
**

**Disclaimer: I humbly acknowledge that I don't own Glee and I do own Alex.**

* * *

Chapter 18: I Was Born Ready

Alex was shocked. That was not what she had been expected. Ben was gay? Although…now that she thought about it, his behaviour was pretty typical of a person still buried deep in the closet.

"Wow," she said finally. "I can see why you need some help." Ben gave her a half nod and dropped his gaze to the floor. "From what I understand, that's really hard. But I don't think I'm the right person to help you." He snapped his eyes back to hers.

"But you said –" he protested.

"_Blaine_ would be better suited to help you," she said. "He knows what you're going through."

"Oh," said Ben. "I see your point."

"I'll ask him to help you," Alex said, "and I only want one thing in return."

"What's that?" asked Ben.

"I want a fair try-out for the team." Alex looked him square in the eye and waited for a response.

"Okay," Ben agreed. "Have you still got your equipment here?" She nodded. "Great. Put it on and meet me on the ice." He got up from the bench and walked back to the arena.

Grinning, Alex unlaced her skates so she could change into her hockey gear. She made a mental note to ask her parents for a new under-armour shirt. This one was a few years old and her chest had grown in those years so the shirt was a little tight. She quickly finished dressing herself and then she pulled out her phone to text Artie, Blaine, and Tina.

**From Alex: Going back to the ice for another try-out. Come watch :)**

She grabbed her helmet and her gloves and made her way back to the ice. She was ready for this.

Alex couldn't help but feel a little nervous as she walked back out to the arena. Of course, this was understandable. The last time she'd gone to the ice in her hockey gear, she'd been slushied by the entire hockey team. Still, she took a deep breath and faced Ben.

"So what's the deal?" she asked.

"Simple enough," he told her. "First, puck handling. Second, shooting accuracy. And finally, one-on-one." He raised an eyebrow. "Think you can handle it?"

Alex pulled on her helmet and secured it under her chin. "Bring it on," she said.

The puck handling drill consisted of weaving in and out of four cones, circling around three cones, and weaving back through the four cones as quickly as possible without dropping the puck. Alex's time was second only to Ben's. He smirked at her and she merely raised her eyebrows in response.

The shooting accuracy drill was one of Alex's favourites. There were four targets placed in the net. The aim was to hit all the targets with as few shots as possible. It took Alex five shots to get them all. Ben's best was six. They were even again.

The final part of Alex's tryout was the one-one-one. Again, it was simple. If you were the forward, you had to get the puck in the net. If you were the defenseman, you had to stop the puck from getting in the net. It was decided that Alex, being a forward and being so amazing at the other two drills, would be paired with the team's best defenseman. And that person just happened to be Ben.

"You ready for this?" Ben asked her.

"I was born ready," she told him.

Alex grabbed the puck with her stick and started skating. There's a zone that everyone has that, when they enter it, they are in a completely different world and all that they know is what they're doing. For Alex, her zone is when she's playing hockey. All she knows is hockey. She was in that moment, skating down the ice, dodging Ben's attempts to block her, and all she saw was the empty net.

Ben skated as fast as he could to keep up with her. He could keep her pace, certainly, but he couldn't defend at the same time. When she finally released the puck and sent it sailing into the net, he stopped. He leaned over to rest on his knees to catch his breath.

"Fuck," he panted when she came over. "You were fucking right."

"About what?" she asked.

"You would win a championship for us singlehandedly."

Ben straightened up to standing and pulled of a glove. He extended it to Alex who took off her own glove and shook his hand warmly.

"Welcome to the team," said Ben.

* * *

**A/N: YAY HAPPINESS! And _I_ actually got to write! Yay!**


	19. Yes

**A/N: Thanks to all my fabulous readers! 8 chapters left!  
**

**Disclaimer: I humbly acknowledge that I don't own Glee and I do own Alex.**

* * *

Chapter 19: Yes

Alex changed as quickly as she could and was met by a group hug as soon as she left the change room.

"Alex! You did it!" squealed Tina.

"Ally, I'm so proud of you," said Blaine.

Artie pulled Alex into a tight hug. "I told you that you could do it," he whispered in her ear. "I knew you would." He released her and she straightened up to look at her friends.

"Thank you guys," she said. "Thank you so much. I couldn't have done anything without you. You guys gave me the strength I needed to go back there."

The Glee club gave her hugs one by one before dissipating until only Alex, Tina, Blaine, and Artie remained. Tina and Blaine took one look at Artie and Alex and then at each other and nodded. Artie and Alex were oblivious to the presence of Tina and Blaine.

"Hey, I've got to go," said Tina. "I have a Skype date with Mike."

"Yeah and I've got to go call Kurt to get some inspiration for the Glee assignment," Blaine added.

Alex and Artie paid them no notice so they shrugged and walked away.

"Coffee?" asked Artie. "My treat."

"Deal," said Alex.

Alex tried to focus on driving but she couldn't help stealing glances at Artie. She wasn't sure if he had changed or if it was just her. When she pulled into the parking lot of the Lima Bean, she still hadn't figured out what was different. But there was definitely _something_ that had changed.

"I'll have a medium double-double and a tall cappuccino," said Artie. Alex turned to him in surprise.

"You remember my coffee order?" she asked. Artie handed the cashier a couple bills. "We haven't gotten coffee in like, two weeks."

"Of course I remember your coffee order," Artie told her as they went to sit down. "It's something people do when they like someone." Alex blushed. "Or at least that's what Tina and Blaine keep telling me. They say that they can go for months without getting coffee with Mike or Kurt and they'll still remember it. Apparently Blaine and Kurt knew each other's coffee orders before they were even dating."

"Wow," said Alex. "That's pretty intense."

"You know, I think the last time we were here was when I asked you out," said Artie quietly.

Alex looked down at her shoes. "It was," she mumbled. She looked up again. "I'm so sorry for what I said to you that time."

"Why are you sorry?" he asked. She opened her mouth and then closed it again.

"I don't know," she said finally. "It just seemed like the right thing to say? And you looked so hurt when I turned you down."

"Hey," he said. "I'm the one who should be apologizing. You basically told me about your regression and I completely ignored it."

"I just didn't want you to regret me," she said.

"I could never regret you," he said. Artie moved his chair so that he was as close to Alex as possible. "Go out with me?"

"Yes," she said softly and she realized what had changed. She was finally happy.

* * *

**A/N: Awwwwwwwwwwww! I almost put in a kiss at the end there but then I couldn't figure out how to write it in well.**


	20. Ways to Say

**A/N: 7 more chapters you guys! Thanks for sticking with it!  
**

**Disclaimer: I humbly acknowledge that I don't own Glee or Lionel Richie's music and I do own Alex.**

* * *

Chapter 20: Ways to Say

"Attention, New Directions!" Mr. Schue proclaimed excitedly as he entered the choir room. "I bring you this week's assignment!"

"It better not be anything lame," Alex whispered to Artie. Artie just squeezed her hand in reply.

"Your assignment for this week is about expressing your feelings," explained Mr. Schue. "These feelings can be positive or negative, but sometimes it's easier to sing about them then to talk about them." A knock sounded at the door and everyone turned to see the new arrival.

"Hi…I – well, I mean, um…can I start off this week's assignment?" Alex gasped. Ben was standing in the doorway looking completely terrified.

Mr. Schue looked confused. "Are you wanting to audition?" he asked. Ben looked from Alex to Blaine and then back to Alex. She nodded confidently and smiled warmly.

"Y-yeah," he said shakily. "Yes please."

"The floor's all yours then," said Mr. Schue gesturing.

"Uh…hi," said Ben. "I know I was a dick to Alex but she managed to overcome her shit and forgive me and then she asked Blaine to help me through my shi-difficulties. So I thought I'd better try to be at least half as brave as her and this song kinda makes me think of how I feel right now."

_I've been alone with you  
Inside my mind  
And in my dreams I've kissed your lips  
A thousand times  
I sometimes see you  
Pass outside my door_

_Hello!_  
_Is it me you're looking for?_  
_I can see it in your eyes_  
_I can see it in your smile_  
_You're all I've ever wanted_  
_And my arms are open wide_  
_'Cause you know just what to say_  
_And you know just what to do_  
_And I want to tell you so much_  
_I love you_

Alex thought he had a beautiful voice. He was nothing like Artie (of course, she _was_ a little biased now) but his voice was incredible.

_I long to see the sunlight in your hair  
And tell you time and time again  
How much I care  
Sometimes I feel my heart will overflow_

_Hello!_  
_I've just got to let you know_  
_'Cause I wonder where you are_  
_And I wonder what you do_  
_Are you somewhere feeling lonely?_  
_Or is someone loving you?_  
_Tell me how to win your heart_  
_For I haven't got a clue_  
_But let me start by saying I love you_

The emotion that Ben poured into the song nearly broke Alex's heart. She was sure that everyone else was like her and trying not to cry.

_Hello!  
Is it me you're looking for?  
'Cause I wonder where you are  
And I wonder what you do  
Are you somewhere feeling lonely?  
Or is someone loving you?  
Tell me how to win your heart  
For I haven't got a clue  
But let me start by saying I love you _

Alex and Blaine got up quickly from their seats and wrapped Ben in a tight hug.

"You were so brave," said Alex. "I'm so proud of you."

"So am I," said Blaine. "We're going to get through this, okay? I promise."

Ben let the tears fall from his eyes as he hugged Blaine and Alex as tightly as he could. "I want to tell them," he said quietly.

Alex and Blaine pulled away. "Are you sure?" asked Alex, but Blaine just nodded in encouragement.

Ben cleared his throat and looked at the Glee club. "I think you guys need to know something about me," he said. "I'm gay. And you're the first people I've told."

* * *

**A/N: Why do I feel like that's a crap ending for this chapter? Let me know what you think :)  
**


	21. For The Ones Not Here

**A/N: So…that last episode that aired (when I wrote this) was Props/Nationals…and now I'm feeling bad that I've barely let Tina sing in this entire story. So just a note: Tina is the lead female vocalist of ND. This is just an Alex-centric story. Singing: Blaine, **_Tina, __**Both.**_**Also, this is in my wonderful AU world where no on broke up.**

**Disclaimer: I humbly acknowledge that I don't own Glee or McFly's music and I do own Alex.**

* * *

Chapter 21: For the Ones Not Here

"Blaine and I have a song to sing," said Tina in Glee club the next day.

"It's for the assignment," Blaine added. "We thought that we'd duet on a song because we can't duet with our boyfriends."

"And we wanted to make Artie and Alex proud because we found this song all on our own," Tina finished.

"Ally, are you ready with the camera?" asked Blaine.

"Ready and waiting good sir!" Alex called from her seat between Artie and Ben. Blaine had instructed her to record the performance so he and Tina could send it to Kurt and Mike.

Blaine gestured to Alex to start recording. "Kurt, this is for you," said Blaine.

"And Mike, this is for you too," said Tina.

**It's all about you  
**_It's all about you  
_**It's all about you, baby  
**_It's all about you  
_**It's all about you  
**_It's all about you  
_**It's all about you  
**

Alex nearly squealed with delight and had to fight to keep the camera steady. Finally, someone was singing McFly without her or Artie prompting them.

_Yesterday, you asked me something I thought you knew.  
So I told you with a smile 'It's all about you'  
Then you whispered in my ear and you told me too,  
Said 'you make my life worthwhile, it's all about you'  
_  
**And I would answer all your wishes, if you asked me to.  
But if you deny me one of your kisses, don't know what I'd do.  
So hold me close and say three words, like you used to do.  
Dancing on the kitchen tiles, it's all about you  
Yeah...  
**

Artie leaned over to whisper in Alex's ear. "Guess I'm going to need to find a new song to sing," he said. Alex nearly squealed again. Artie was going to sing this song for her!

"I guess so," she whispered back calmy.

_**And I would answer all your wishes, if you asked me to.  
But if you deny me one of your kisses, don't know what I'd do.  
So hold me close and say three words, like you used to do.  
**_**Dancing on the kitchen tiles,  
**_**Yes you make my life worthwhile,  
So I told you with a smile...**_

_It's all about you_  
**It's all about you  
**_It's all about you_  
**It's all about you, baby  
**_It's all about you_  
**It's all about you  
**_It's all about you_  
**It's all about you  
**

_**It's all about you…**_

Blaine and Tina finished the song gesturing towards the camera and the Glee club applauded them. Blaine then blew a kiss to the camera and made a heart with his hands and Tina blew several kisses to the camera and mouthed the words 'I love you' repeatedly. Alex stopped the recording so she could clap properly with everyone else.

"Is everyone here that good?" asked Ben, leaning over towards Alex.

"Yeah," she said, grinning. "Yeah they are."

* * *

**A/N: Yeah it's short. Six chapters left!  
**


	22. Pretty Girl

**A/N: I just got home from a camp and I'm soooooooo tired right now but I feel like I can't go to bed. This is a problem. 6 chapters left y'all!  
**

**Disclaimer: I humbly acknowledge that I don't own Glee or Kip Moore's music and I do own Alex.**

* * *

Chapter 22: Pretty Girl

The next day came faster than Alex would have liked. She still didn't have a song to sing and she really wanted to sing to Artie. He'd done so much for her so singing was the least she could do. So she sat in Glee that afternoon, with Artie's arm wrapped around her shoulder, going through all the songs she knew in her head.

"Does anyone have a song for the assignment today?" asked Mr. Schue.

Artie raised the hand that wasn't resting on Alex's shoulder. "I do," he said. Alex looked surprised. Only yesterday he was saying that Blaine and Tina had sung the song he was going to do. He rolled himself up to the front of the room and Blaine joined him with a guitar. "Alex, this is for you."

_Hey pretty girl, won't you look my way  
Love's in the air tonight  
Bet you could make this ol' boy stay  
Hey pretty girl, won't you look my way  
_

Artie's voice never failed to make Alex melt. The way he made her feel the music just touched her soul.

_Hey pretty girl, can I have this dance  
And the next one after that  
Gonna make your mind there's a real good chance  
Hey pretty girl, can I have this chance_

_Hey pretty girl, it feels so right_  
_Just like it's meant to be_  
_All wrapped up in my arms so tight_  
_Hey pretty girl, it feels so right_

_Life's a lonely, winding ride_  
_Better have the right one by your side_  
_Happiness don't drag its feet_  
_Time moves faster than anything_

Alex stared intently at her boyfriend. She sincerely hoped he meant what he was singing because she needed him to mean it.

_Hey pretty girl, wanna take you home  
My momma's gonna love you  
She'll make me sleep on the couch, I know  
But hey pretty girl, wanna take you home  
_

Alex giggled at that verse. She hadn't been to Artie's house yet but she could imagine his dad embarrassing him on purpose.

_Hey pretty girl, lets build some dreams  
A house on a piece of land  
Plant some roots and some apple trees  
Hey pretty girl, lets build some dreams_

_Life's a lonely, winding ride_  
_Better have the right one by your side_  
_Happiness don't drag its feet_  
_Time moves faster than anything_

_Hey pretty girl, you did so good_  
_Our baby's got your eyes_  
_And a fighter's heart like I knew she would_  
_Hey pretty girl, you did so good_

There were no more giggles. Artie kept his eyes fixed on Alex's crystal blue eyes and he watched the tears spill over the edge.

Alex didn't know what to think. Artie wanted all that? With her?

_Hey pretty girl when I see the light  
When it's my time to go  
I'm gonna thank the Lord for a real good life  
Pretty little girl and a beautiful wife_

At the end of the song Alex walked over to Artie and hugged him tightly.

"I didn't know," she whispered through her silent tears. "I didn't know, I didn't know."

"Shh," Artie soothed her. "It's okay. I didn't tell you before."

"I don't know what to say," she said as she pulled back from the hug.

"Just say you'll stay with me?" asked Artie.

"I'll stay as long as you want me," said Alex. "Don't think you're getting rid of me."

* * *

**A/N: Sorry if it sucks. I'm going to bed now. G'night!**


	23. Couldn't Think of the Words to Say

**A/N: So I think I've reached the point where I'm not entirely sure how many people are actually still reading this, but I'm gonna keep posting it anyways. If you *are* reading and you have thoughts about it, drop me a line please! I love hearing what other people think about my writing.  
**

**Disclaimer: I humbly acknowledge that I don't own Glee or Blake Shelton's music and I do own Alex.**

* * *

Chapter 23: Couldn't Think of the Words to Say

Alex raised her hand in Glee club the next day. Mr Schue motioned her up to the front and she faced the rest of the group.

"I had a really hard time trying to find a song for this assignment," she said. "I knew I wanted to sing it for Artie, but I didn't know what to say or how to say it. And then I found this song." Alex looked at Artie and spoke softly. "I hope you like it," she finished.

_Boy, I been thinkin' 'bout us  
And you know I ain't good at this stuff  
These feelings pilin' up won't give me no rest  
This might come out a little crazy  
A little sideways, yeah maybe  
I don't know how long it'll take me but I'll do my best  
_

She changed the lyrics a bit, but she had to make it work for singing to a boy instead of a girl. The lyrics that she left alone were so true to her that she wished she had written them.

_You'll be my soft and sweet  
I'll be your strong and steady  
You'll be my glass of wine  
I'll be your shot of whiskey  
You'll be my sunny day  
I'll be your shade tree  
You'll be my honeysuckle  
I'll be your honey bee  
_

Artie grinned at his girlfriend. She might think that she wasn't good at romance but she was. And she was exactly what Artie wanted.

_Yeah, that came out a little country  
But every word was right on the money  
And I got you smilin' honey right back at me  
Now hold on 'cause I ain't done  
There's more where that came from  
Well you know I'm just havin' fun, but seriously  
_

Alex started to dance around the room. She grabbed Artie's hands and pulled him into the centre of the room with her and they danced together.

_If you'll be my Louisiana  
I'll be your Mississippi  
I'll be your Little Loretta  
You'll be my Conway Twitty  
You'll be my sugar, baby  
I'll be your sweet iced tea  
You'll be my honeysuckle  
I'll be your honey bee  
_

Alex looked Artie in the eye and sang the last verse to him like they were the only two in the room.

_Your kiss just said it all  
I'm glad we had this talk  
Nothing left to do but fall in each others arms  
I coulda said "I love you"  
Coulda wrote you a line or two  
Baby, all I know to do is speak right from the heart_

_If you'll be my soft and sweet_  
_I'll be your strong and steady_  
_You'll be my glass of wine_  
_I'll be your shot of whiskey_  
_You'll be my sunny day_  
_I'll be your shade tree_  
_You'll be my honeysuckle_  
_I'll be your honey bee_

_You'll be my Louisiana_  
_I'll be your Mississippi_  
_I'll be your Little Loretta_  
_You'll be my Conway Twitty_  
_You'll be my sugar, baby_  
_I'll be your sweet iced tea_  
_You'll be my honeysuckle_  
_And I'll be your honey bee_

_I'll be your honey bee_

Artie pulled Alex to him and kissed her fiercely as the Glee club applauded Alex's performance.

"Okay, you guys!" said Blaine when they didn't pull apart.

"You love each other, we get it," Tina added. Alex and Artie still didn't separate.

"Ally!" yelled Blaine as Tina yelled "Artie!"

With sheepish looks on their faces, the pair pulled away from each other and apologized to their friends.

"Coffee?" asked Artie.

Alex shook her head. "Stairwell," she said. Artie grinned and the two of them took off towards their stairwell at the other end of the school.

* * *

**A/N: Whyyyyy are you guys going to make out underneath a stairwell? Did I _say_ you could do that? Oh okay, fine. Go be 16/17 and hormonal. Love you!**


	24. Normalcy For Once

**A/N: 3 chapters left!  
**

**Disclaimer: I humbly acknowledge that I don't own Glee and I do own Alex.**

* * *

Chapter 24: Normalcy For Once

"Hey," said Alex as she walked up to Ben at his locker one morning. "What's up?"

"Not much," Ben told her. "I'm just a little nervous."

Alex laughed. "A little nervous?" she asked. "Ben, your hands are shaking."

"Okay, I'm a lot nervous," he confessed.

"Why? I mean, we're only playing East Lima today. Everyone knows that their team sucks ass compared to ours."

Ben shut his locker and faced Alex. "That's not what I'm worried about," he said.

"Oh. Then what is it?" asked Alex.

He hesitated and then leaned closer to her. "I'm coming out to the team after the game," he whispered in her ear.

Alex's eyes grew. "Okay," she said. "I get it now." Alex paused. "Have you told Blaine about this?"

Ben gave a half shrug. "I was going to go see him now and tell him what I want to do."

"Okay," said Alex. "Why don't I come with you?"

"Sounds good to me," he said and together they headed off in search of Alex's cousin.

They found Blaine by his locker being distracted by Brittany.

"Look, all I'm saying is Lord Tubbington is very concerned about the annual dolphin hunt in New York state and, now that Kurt is there, you should sign this petition to cancel it until you can be there to protect him," Brittany was saying. Ben and Alex looked at each other with confused expressions on their faces.

"Uh…I…well…" Blaine stuttered.

"Hey Blainey!" Alex interrupted. "Britt, do you mind if Ben and I steal him for a bit?"

"No, I'll go find someone else to sign the petition," said the blonde girl as she walked away.

"Thank you so much," said a very relieved Blaine. "That girl is going to be the death of me."

"Actually there's something I wanted to talk to you about," said Ben. "I want to come out to the hockey team tonight after the game."

"Oh," was all Blaine said. "Let's go talk. Ally? I'll see you later?" Alex nodded and watched the two boys walk away.

"Hi," came a voice from behind her. Alex turned around and grinned widely.

"Artie!" she cried, hugging him tightly. "You told me you were studying with Tina all morning."

"Yeah, well, my brain started hurting," he explained. "So I told Tina that I had to go see about a girl."

Alex raised an eyebrow. "_Good Will Hunting_?" she asked. "Really, that's what you're going with?"

Artie laughed. "Come on," he said. "I'll take you to your first class." Alex took his hand and began walking in the direction of her classroom when Artie tugged on her hand.

"What?" she asked.

"I said I'd take you to your class," he told her and he pulled her into his lap. "Now hold on tight."

Alex gripped the armrests of Artie's chair as he rolled quickly down the halls. She squealed in delight as they flew by lockers and students. Artie slowed to a stop when they neared Alex's classroom. Alex turned to the side and twisted her head to look at Artie.

"Thank you," she said and she kissed him quickly. Artie made to deepen the kiss (teenage boy…) but Alex pulled away. "Lunchtime," she told him and pecked him on the nose. "I loved my ride to class, by the way."

"Why thank you," he said. "I only do it for the people I love."

Alex laughed as the warning bell sounded. "I guess that's my cue," she said reluctantly, climbing off the chair. "See you at lunch," and she disappeared into her classroom.

Artie's eyes and mind followed her into the room and his body wheeled himself to his own classroom. **Damn,** he thought. **I'm head over heels.**

* * *

**A/N: *gasps* Artie! You're only JUST figuring this out now? Hope you guys enjoyed this somewhat normal chapter with minimal drama and no songs :D**


	25. Courage

**A/N: A huge shout-out to everyone who's still reading. Thanks so much for sticking with it! 2 chapters left after this!**

**Disclaimer: I humbly acknowledge that I don't own Glee and I do own Alex.**

* * *

Chapter 25: Courage

Alex was right. Compared to McKinley, East Lima really did suck. McKinley won the game five goals to two and Alex herself scored the game winner. On the bus ride back from East Lima, the boys were exhausted but they were not acting it. In fact, they were very boisterous.

"Hey Ben," Tyler called over the seats. "Is it true?"

"Is what true Ty?" Ben asked.

"Did you really join the dork club?" The boys laughed but Ben was lucky enough to have Blaine as a mentor.

"I don't know what you're talking about," he said. "McKinley doesn't have a 'dork club'." Alex gave him a smile.

"Sure we do," Tyler said. "Isn't it called the 'Nude Erections' or some shit like that?"

"Yeah," piped up Marcus. "And it's run by that Lima loser teacher that used to teach Spanish."

"Ringing any bells?" asked Tyler.

Ben clenched his mouth shut. Sure he had been warned that the Glee club wasn't cool, but he was supposed to be one of those guys that made uncool things be cool. He didn't know what to do. He wished Blaine was there. It's not like Alex could get involved – oh shit, she already was.

"So this club," she asked the boys. "Why do you care if Ben's in it?"

"Because it's for dorks and Lima losers," answered Tyler.

"And Ben's supposed to be cool," added Marcus. "And being around those Nude Erections might turn him into a singing, dancing dork."

"Yeah and we can't have his game suffer because of it," Tyler finished.

"Yet…you don't seem to have a problem with me being in the _New Directions_," said Alex. "Why?"

**Shit Alex,** thought Ben. **Why did you bring that up?**

"Wait, you're in it too?" asked Tyler. "Fuck man…"

Alex rolled her eyes. Oblivious boys. "And, personally, I thought Ben was entirely on top of his game today," she continued. "How many shots did he block? Five? That's more than you Ty."

Ben remembered the one word Blaine had left him with. Courage. "And Marcus, how many shots did you get?" he asked. "Two? I'm pretty sure Alex had six and she scored the game winner. So don't go saying that Glee will knock us off our game. We all know who's the best around here. Don't forget it."

Alex looked at Ben with wide eyes. She couldn't believe he'd just done that. Tyler and Marcus looked at each other sheepishly and then back at Ben.

"Dude, we're really sorry," said Marcus.

"I swear, we didn't think of any of it on our own," added Tyler.

"It's just the stuff that floats around the school all the time," Marcus finished.

Ben looked at his teammates. "I'll forgive you this once," he said. "But no more of this Glee bashing, okay?" Tyler and Marcus nodded quickly. "Now that we've dealt with that issue, there is still one that needs to be mentioned."

Alex looked sharply at Ben. **Oh, nononono, **she thought. **Oh please don't. This is a **_**terrible**_** time for this, please don't say it.**

"I want you guys to know that absolutely _nothing_ has changed, okay?" said Ben. He took a deep breath and looked his teammates in their eyes. "I'm gay," he said.

* * *

**A/N: I have this great idea for the next chapter but I'm really tired so I'm just gonna write the idea down. Let me know what you think!  
**


	26. The Truth

**A/N: Second to last chapter! Thanks to everyone who's stuck with this story and its crazy plot twists that somehow managed to weasel their way into this supposed-to-be-normal story :)  
**

**Disclaimer: I humbly acknowledge that I don't own Glee and I do own Alex.**

* * *

Chapter 26: The Truth

"_I want you guys to know that absolutely _nothing_ has changed, okay?" said Ben. He took a deep breath and looked his teammates in their eyes. "I'm gay," he said._

Tyler and Marcus stared at Ben, then at each other, and then at Ben once more. It was Tyler who spoke first.

"You're gay?" he asked.

"For real?" added Marcus.

Ben nodded. "For real," he said. "So don't go hating on gay people." Marcus and Tyler shook their heads. Ben seemed satisfied with their response so he settled himself back down in his seat for the rest of the bus ride. Alex grinned at him and gave him props.

Back at McKinley, Alex and Ben collected their equipment bags and starting walking towards Ben's car when a voice stopped them.

"Wait, so you're okay with people being gay?" They turned around to see Tyler and Marcus.

"Uh, yeah?" said Ben. "I _am_ gay. It would just be Dave Karofsky all over again if I wasn't okay with it."

Alex winced. She'd heard the story from Blaine and it wasn't a pretty one. Tyler and Marcus had heard the story too. They visibly relaxed when Ben admitted his acceptance.

"Why do you ask?" she questioned them curiously.

"Well, um," Marcus started.

"I'm not really sure how…" stuttered Tyler.

"I guess it's because…"

"Oh fuck it." Tyler grabbed Marcus and connected their lips. Alex's and Ben's eyes widened in shock. This was…unexpected. After a moment, the boys separated and turned back to face Alex and Ben. Alex raised an eyebrow at them as if to say 'And how long has this been going on?'

"We thought you'd bully us," admitted Marcus.

"And we couldn't lose our places on the team," Tyler added. "So we kept it a secret."

"How long?" asked Ben.

"A few months," said Tyler.

"Seven…" corrected Marcus.

"Okay," said Ben. He gestured to Alex and they turned away from Tyler and Marcus and continued walking to Ben's car. "Just keep it out of the locker room and off the ice!" he called over his shoulder.

Tyler and Marcus smiled at each other and slung their arms over the other's shoulders. Everything was going to be okay.

* * *

**A/N: I know it's kind of short. The next chapter will be longer. And it'll be the last one.**


	27. Thank You

**A/N: Here it is guys. The last chapter. There's a huge end note at the end of the chapter. I'm not crying. Really. **_Alex_**, Blaine, **Ben**, **_**Everyone**_**.**

**Disclaimer: I humbly acknowledge that I don't own Glee or Keith Urban's music and I do own Alex.**

* * *

Chapter 27: Thank You

Alex was regaling the Glee club with the story of Tyler's and Marcus' confession from the previous day. She knew Ben was going to be late and she had one more thing to do, but she had to wait until he got there. Finally, the hockey captain arrived.

"Sorry I'm late," he said breathlessly.

"Oh don't worry," teased Alex from her seat next to Artie. "We were just waiting for you." She gave him a wink to let him know that she was kidding.

"Alright, New Directions!" said the ever-excited Mr. Schue. "Now I know we have to start prepping for Nationals," he paused as the Glee club cheered "but Alex wanted to say a few words first."

"So, first thing I have to say is that I'm not moving," said Alex. "I'm very comfortable sitting here next to my boyfriend, so y'all can just _deal_ if you want me to actually stand up." The club laughed. "The second thing I have to say is that yesterday, two boys became comfortable with who they are and who their friends are. And the person to thank for that is Ben." There was a round of applause for Ben, who blushed instantly. "Now hang on, I'm not done. Before he gets all the credit, he could only help them because Blaine helped him." A round of applause for Blaine. "And Blaine helped Ben because I asked him to when I found out what he was going through." A round of applause for Alex. "And I'm still not done. I wouldn't have found out about Ben's situation if I didn't have all of you to back me up and be there for me when I needed you. People think that the Glee club is stupid or it's for dorks and Lima losers. They're wrong. Glee club helps people like me and Ben and Tyler and Marcus. We're making things better, whether other people like it or not." She gestured to the band and started singing.

_There were nights where I was sure  
I wouldn't see the morning sun  
And there were days that seemed so dark  
I couldn't wait for night to come_

Blaine took over the next part when he recognized the song.

**I couldn't stand to think about how  
My life used to be  
And how without a single warning  
It all slipped away from me  
**

Ben joined in. How could he not?

Like a fool I thought I could fight  
The shadows on my own  
To the dark I was no stranger  
But this was stronger than I'd known

_And by the time I knew that I was in too deep I'd gone too far  
And the light that used to guide me  
Had faded from my heart  
And I found myself in places I thought I'd never go_

Alex and Ben sung together for the rest of the club.

_Surrounded by stangers I was so far from home  
And I don't know how you found me  
All I know is I owe everything to you  
Yes I do  
_

Everyone joined in with them. They all had a reason to thank Glee club, even if it wasn't blatantly obvious.

_**And I thank you for my heart  
I thank you for my life  
And I thank God for grace and mercy  
And that you became my wife  
I'm seeing for the first time  
The stars, the sun and moon  
But they've got nothing on the power  
Of this love I have for you  
And I thank you, I thank you  
**__  
_**Now people say they'll stand beside you  
They swear they never leave  
When the rain started falling  
You know it only fell on me**

Blaine thought back to the Sadie Hawkins dance and then back to when he first met Kurt.

And it was hard to keep believing in myself  
When all I felt was so much pain and guilt and shame  
I couldn't even ask for help  
I don't know if I believe in other lives

Alex looked directly at Blaine and then Artie. She needed them to know how much they helped her.

_But when you came  
There was something so familar  
About the way you said my name  
And the whole world started turning  
And I swear that I'd been born again brand new  
And it's all because of you_

_**And so I thank you for my heart  
I thank you for my life  
And I thank God for grace and mercy  
And that you became my wife  
I'm seeing for the first time  
The stars, the sun and moon  
But they've got nothing on the power  
Of this love I have for you  
And I thank you  
Oh, yeah  
**__  
And I've seen so many things  
That I just can't explain  
__**But the miracle of miracles is how  
With your love I was saved  
**__  
__**And I thank you  
**_**I thank you for my life  
**_And I thank God for grace and mercy  
_And that you became my wife  
_**And I'm seeing for the first time  
The stars, the sun and moon  
But they've got nothing on the power  
Of all this love I give to you  
**__  
__**And I thank you for my heart  
I thank you for my life  
I thank God for grace and mercy  
And that you became my wife  
The day I started breathing  
Was the day you took my hand  
And until the day I die  
Baby  
I'll forever be your man  
And I thank you, I thank you  
**__  
_Oh yes I do  
_Oh don't you know I thank you_

On the last note, Alex brought the entire club together in a group hug. Whatever happened after that day didn't matter. For now they had each other and that's all that mattered. There was hockey (and the team was well on their way to winning the Western Ohio title), there was Nationals, and there were friends. For now, life was good.

* * *

**A/N: Oh gosh, where do I even begin? This story has certainly been a saga of late nights, rants to friends, and "OMG I don't know what song this person should sing!" I did plan out most of the story, but every now and then my characters decided to do something else and throw me off my game. Still, four months later, we have a completed story and a very tired writer. Much love to all, especially my besties for keeping me on track and keeping me sane. Also a HUGE shout-out to everyone who took the time to read this. Thank you so much.  
**


End file.
